


Of Magic and Blood

by waddyaknow



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Magic, Blood, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Magic-Users, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Female Character, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-08-23 06:03:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddyaknow/pseuds/waddyaknow
Summary: Jack Morrison has a knack for sleight of the hand magic tricks, but you'll soon come to learn that he knows much more than what he lets on. Oh, and he almost kills you in the process.In which Jack is a magician, wounded from years of struggle, along with everyone else from Overwatch. You, on the other hand, are none of those things. Well, not yet, anyway.





	1. Blacken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we start, just some quick disclaimers. This was originally written for an OC of mine, so if you at any point come across some pronouns that shouldn't be there or descriptions directly describing Reader's look, like hair, skin or eye colour, then please let me know!
> 
> Also, I'm not English or American, how I write high school is pretty much based on my own experience from my own country. So, if the description doesn't feel quite right then it's probably because whatever kind of high school this is is a mixture of a bunch of different school system. sorry not sorry lmao

You weren't sure exactly what you expected from a new school. New friends, obviously. A love interest, maybe. But you certainly did not expect to see your down-the-street neighbor and family friend, Jack Morrison, standing amongst your new teachers.

The fact that you had known to this man for the bigger part of your life without ever talking about his profession baffled you, and the fact that you had also managed to enroll where he worked, despite your many options, baffled you even more.

Despite your apparent lack of knowledge, hearing him introduce himself as if you were strangers felt somewhat uncanny. He carried himself with a sense of professionalism, standing rigidly as he introduced himself, no doubt scaring a handful or two of students. The two scars streaking along his face did little to help that fact. Yet, the ever so slight smirk coating his lips as he talked made his tall, strong figure seem less intimidating.

He taught both English and physical education, ensuring everyone that they would undoubtedly see a lot of him a lot no matter how long they chose to stay, be it a couple of months or a year. He had just turned fifty-one but you already knew that. Not only because the silver of his cropped haircut suggested it, but also because your parents had been invited to his fiftieth birthday last year.

Unsurprising to you, he enjoyed golfing. After all, that's how your parents had bonded with him in the first place. A bigger surprise, however, was his interest in sleight of the hand magic, which you, oddly enough, had never seen or heard of.

Jack left it at that, retreating from the spotlight as the other teachers introduced themselves. You tried to pay attention, but the thought of Jack being your teacher for the next couple of semesters terrified you more than you'd like to admit. After all, your parents now had a one-way hotline to check up on your progress at school. A fact that was very far from ideal.

When the introductions were done, all students retreated to their designated classrooms with their new homeroom teacher. Luckily, you had been assigned to a very kind-looking man named Ryan Hughes, and not Mr. Morrison.

You had also been lucky enough to be placed in the same class as your one acquaintance, Chen, whom you had known for three years already. You had been hanging out with different people, so you weren't exactly friends. It was more of a friend-of-a-friend situation for both of you.

There wasn't a lot to be done. After a tour of the school and several name-learning exercises, they called it a day; blissfully reminding everyone that they were looking forward to teaching them this semester.

Having taken the time to use the bathroom, you were one of the very last students remaining on the school ground. You had to turn a corner to get out, but what awaited you on the other side made your body stop dead in its tracks.

Right in front of you stood Jack, coffee in hand, laughing and smiling while talking to Mr. Hughes. You weren't sure if you wanted to turn heels and wait till he had left or carefully sneak past him. But, in the end, the choice wasn't yours to make. As Jack took a swig of his coffee, his eyes met with yours and you had no choice but to walk over to him.

A small, clever smile spread on his lips. "Fancy seeing you here."

Instantly, Hughes' eyes landed on you.

"Can't say I expected to see you here either," you replied.

"You know each other?” Hughes broke in, making no attempt to hide his confusion.

"We've met a few times," Jack said, making you furrow your brow at his suspiciously vague answer. Taking notice of this, he elaborated. "Her parents are good friends of mine."

Hughes' perplexed expression turned into a warm smile. "Interesting! Your parents must be excited."

"They probably will be, when they find out," you said. "And knowing them, they'll make sure I'm aware at all times."

He laughed lightly at your response. "I believe most parents would." His attention then turned to Jack. "Later, then."

Having his face buried in his mug, Jack simply nodded as Hughes walked away. When he was out of immediate reach, Jack leaned onto the closest wall. "You parents never told me you enrolled here."

"They didn't really have a say in the matter." It came our more defensive than you had wanted it to.

"Still, it's a long way from home," he said. "I know for a fact that there are schools closer than this one."

"I suppose there is," you shrugged. "Just needed a fresh start, I guess. New faces and all."

Jack snorted. "Sorry to ruin it."

"I'll manage," you paused. "Hopefully."

"I'm sure you will," he said. "Just don't call me 'Jack'."

"Yes, sir!" you grinned and saluted. It was a joke, but the corner of Jack's mouth lifted slightly at the gesture. He supposed he didn't entirely hate it.

"Yeah, well, I'll be seeing you around, then," Jack said as he promptly made his way down the corridor, raising his hand and waving goodbye. "Greet your parent for me."

"Sure thing," you said, at a volume much lower than what would allow him to hear.

You didn't greet your parents on his behalf when you got home, neither did you mention that Jack was one of your new teachers. You didn't really enjoy talking to your parents at all.

*****

Coming to terms with the fact that Jack was your new teacher had been hard. You would be lying if you said that you weren't disappointed in the turn of events, maybe even a little regretful in your choice of school. Though, when a few weeks had passed you quickly realized that it wasn't so bad after all.

Your new teachers were fun and incredibly dedicated to their jobs, Jack included. It was evident that they all had vast knowledge in their subjects and a passion for teaching it. Thankfully, Jack was very professional about the whole situation. He treated you like any other student and rarely brought up personal matters, if ever at all.

Your friendship with Chen had flourished as well. You had been placed on the same row and, while you had been quiet to begin with, you soon learned to open up to each other, revealing that you had more than a few things in common.

Not all was good, though. Headaches, for instance, had become an issue, sometimes breathing would be hard, and painful coughing had become an everyday occurrence. In the beginning, you blamed the poor ventilation. When no else seemed to have a reaction to it, you blamed it on allergies.

When weeks turned into months and the headaches got nothing but worse, you decided it was time to visit a doctor. Your many check-ups and allergy tests all revealed the same thing; nothing. Apparently, you were as healthy as they come, leaving you with absolutely nothing to explain your poor health.

Convinced that it was all happening inside your head, you continued like nothing was wrong. You still coughed, and the headaches were still there. Breathing wasn't as easy as it used to be, but there wasn't really any course of action you could take to stop it.

Not all days were bad, some days were actually quite normal; fooling you into believing that the whole thing might have passed. Today was not one of those days. Today was really, really bad.

A headache had pierced its way through your head several times since P.E. with Jack this morning and, if you had learned anything from previous experiences, it was only going to get worse. Everything was worse than usual. The pressure in your head made your stomach involuntarily twist, strongly suggesting that it would turn itself inside out very soon.

You needed to get out of the classroom,  _fast_. You quickly glanced around before storming out the door. The teacher must have noticed the cold sweat on your brow because they certainly didn't try to stop you from charging out.

Walking became harder and harder with every step. You didn't know what was worse; the piercing headache, your turning stomach, or the painful cough now forcing its way up your throat. Your body fell against the wall when the pain became too much to bear, and the cough that you had so desperately tried to hold back broke free and left traces of blood on the white walls. Tears flooded your eyes as your body slid down the wall in defeat.

You couldn't breathe. The pain was too much and you were left gasping for air, but it didn't feel like it ever reached your lungs. A violent cough had covered your entire body in blood and, as if that wasn't enough, you now felt your body retch.

You slid down even further and rolled over, grunting as your stomach hit the floor. With the very last of your strength, you lifted yourself up on your elbows before violently vomiting over the floor. To your own surprise, it wasn't the sandwich from lunch that spilled. It was blood.

Your vision started to blacken, and your consciousness pushed further and further away. You tried to scream for help, you really did, but if the coughing didn't stop it, then the drowning of your lungs certainly did. You cried out in pain, in desperation, in fear.

The absolute horror of looking down and seeing a pool of your own blood couldn't be described. It was your  _own_ fucking blood, staining  _everything_ around you. You cried out again before retching, spewing out more blood than what was already there. For a moment you thought you heard something, but the high-pitched ringing in your ear made it all too difficult to hear.

It wasn't until you turned your head and saw Jack's azure orbs staring at you in disbelief that you realized you  _had_  heard something. He snapped his fingers by your ears, or at least so you thought if his hand movements were anything to go by, presumably checking your reactions.

Your hearing was gone but looking at his lips you could clearly understand what he was saying. There was a repetitive use of your name, and an even more frequent use of the words 'shit' and 'fuck'. You couldn't blame him. After all, your own vocabulary had been reduced to even less. 


	2. Talk to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is letting you off the hook but doesn't necessarily tell you why

Someone jabbed you in the ribs, forcing you out of whatever dimension your mind had transcended to. It took you a moment to comprehend who and where you were. A few seconds ago, you had been no one and nowhere in particular. The urge of returning to wherever that was grew stronger when you realized you were still in class; English, if Morrison's presence was anything to go by.

You violently turned your head to your side, glaring at Chen. "That hurt."

"Wouldn't have hurt you if you'd replied the first five times I called your name," Chen argued. "Have you even touched the assignments for this period?"

You furrowed your brows. "What assignment?"

"The one Mr. Morrison handed out the moment he stepped into the classroom?"

"W-what?" You couldn't remember that.

"You're really out of it, huh?" Judging by his tone, Chen was more amused than concerned. "Better write something down quickly, then."

You glanced down at the clock on the screen in front of you. You had ten minutes. Ten minutes to write an entire essay about a topic of your own choosing. You couldn't do that. You could barely manage to write a single paragraph in that time, let alone a whole essay.

Nothing seemed to make sense. For just how long had you spaced out? You knew you had science for two periods after lunch, but you could barely remember anything past the first twenty minutes. What the hell? You had left to use the toilets and then-

Your name was called. The sudden abruption of your thoughts almost startled you out of your seat. The voice was deep and gruff and could only belong to one person in this classroom. Morrison. His tone reeked of disapproval, and he was probably the last person you wanted to see right now.

"Y-yes, Mr. Morrison?" You stuttered while turning around, only to find him standing almost directly behind you with a stern look on his face.

"I'm going to need a moment of your time after class." As if on cue, the bell rang. Everyone quickly dismissed themselves from the classroom, Chen included. He mouthed a 'good luck' before swooping up his things and hurrying off the premise and, possibly, future murder scene.

"Yeah..." you breathed.

When the classroom had emptied out, Jack sat down where Chen had been sitting only moments ago. Refusing to meet his gaze, you stared down on your laptop in defeat. There was no logical way to explain your poor performance and even if there was, there was no way you could tell him about it.

"Did you not understand the assignment?" Jack asked. His voice was soft, showing that he was more worried than annoyed. You shook your head.

"Yes, I did- uh... I understood it well enough." Did you? Hell, you didn't even know. You hadn't looked at it until ten minutes ago and, even then, it had been more skimming than reading.

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help," he added. "If you don't-"

"No, it's not... that," you interrupted. You weren't even sure what you wanted to say, all you knew was that you didn't want Jack to think you were too dumb to understand what seemed like a pretty simple assignment.

"I just-" Finally, you turned your gaze to Jack. He was staring at you with a very noticeable hint of worry in his blue eyes. It was a soft expression, too soft for a hardened man like him, too soft to be ruined by the blood smeared across his face. What?

You blinked. There was no blood, but there had been, right? He’d been _covered_ in it. His clothing, his arms, his hair. And somehow, you knew exactly who it belonged to. It was  _your_  blood.

Jack called your name.

"Hmm?"

"Is everything alright?" Jack asked with a tilt of his head. "You seem preoccupied."

"Yes!" you said, too quickly to not raise suspicions. "I, uh... I mean- I..."

Jack had to hold back a chuckle. Maybe it was the way you stuttered that triggered it, or maybe it was the way your face screamed in confusion. Either way, he had to hold it back.

"Midterms are coming up," he warned. "I'd hate for your grades to drop because you're too distracted. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, really," you said. "I've been struggling with headaches for a while now, and today was a bad day."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair. "How long is 'a while'?"

Grimacing, you hesitated. "Since a week into the semester?"

"That's three and a half months."

"Three and a half months then."

" _Please_ tell me you've seen a doctor."

"Of course I have," you said. "Several times and several different doctors."

"And?"

Your eyes wandered before sporting a smile. "Nothing. Healthy as they come."

A heavy sigh escaped him. "That must be frustrating."

"It is."

"Next time you're having a bad day remember to tell me, OK?" You nodded in agreement. "Alright. Go home, get some rest. I'm sure you need it." His back turned toward you when he rose to his feet, rendering him unable to see the dumbfounded look on your face.

"Simple as that, huh?" You whispered as you packed your stuff.

Jack arched a brow at the remark. With his laptop resting under his arm, he turned back around and shot you an inquisitive look.

You noticed and quickly revealed your thoughts. "You're not letting me off the hook, are you?"

"Do you want me to  _not_  let you off the hook?" He asked.

"No, I just..." you paused. "I don't want you to go easy on me just because you're a good friend of my parents."

"I didn't realize I was," he noted.

"I didn't-" you ate your own words. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Listen," Jack interrupted. "As your teacher, I care about your well-being, as I do for all my students, but being a friend of your parents doesn't exactly make me any less worried." Knowing that Jack cared warmed your heart, even more so considering the decreasing interest of your parents. They had worried at first, urging you to see a doctor, but after so many appointments with so few results, their interest had been steadily declining.

"Are we good?" Jack asked in the doorway, holding the door open for you to leave.

"Yeah, we're good," you said before sneaking past him and out the door.

"Good," he smiled. "See you Monday."

You simply nodded and hurried away. Had you taken the time to look back, you'd have seen Jack's face slowly turn into a frown. He'd lied through his teeth and you didn't even have a clue. The only reason he'd gone easy on you was because he knew that you were in this position because of him. He knew both the cause and cure to your illness, and he hated them both equally. He also knew that removing all that blood was going to be a bitch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short but I needed to separate it somewhere so sorry for that. I want to try to have my chapters somewhere between 1500 and 2000 words. Hopefully, that'll work out  
> Other than the two chapters published, I got two more ready to go but I'll wait for a little to release them because I need to sort out the part that I'm writing right now. You can always find me on my Tumblr where I write shorter stuff, like musings and drabbles (or try to at least!)


	3. Jack, was it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumours are starting to spread, and while having the best of intentions... Chen might have made everything worse.

The weather had grown colder, and snow was finally settling on the ground. It hadn't happened fast enough to give anyone the white Christmas they were hoping for, though. While the snow was a highlight for many, it was also freezing enough to make January even more depressing than it already was. Whether the snow outweighed that fact was still up for debate.

Both you and Chen opted to dress in warm clothing but felt sorely underdressed where you sat stripped of all outerwear, enjoying the warmth of your meal reaching your stomachs.

It had become a weekly thing for you, visiting the same fast food joint after school. It gave you time to relax and have fun together, without having to do anything but eat. You'd been going at it for so long that the employees knew your orders by heart. Neither of you knew if that was embarrassing enough to stop.

"No, it was really weird," you said. "Mr. Hughes just charged into the classroom with a waffle in his hand, and then he raised it and shouted, 'does anyone own this waffle?!' really angrily."

"What?" Chen laughed, more at your ridiculous impression of Mr. Hughes than anything else. "I'm gone for one period, and  _this_  is what happens?"

"I keep telling you you're some kind of neutralizer," you said. "When you're gone the teachers just kind of lose it."

"I think you're lying to make me feel sorry for ditching you."

"No, it's true! I swear!" And it was, you were well aware of how made-up it sounded. If you hadn't actually witnessed it, you probably wouldn't have believed it either. "Just ask Mr. Morrison! He looked the most confused out of all of us."

"Mr. Morrison, huh?" Chen mumbled, absentmindedly playing with some of his fries. "What's the deal with you two, anyway?"

You knit your brows together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, c'mon," he insisted. "Let's not pretend that he isn't much nicer to you than everyone else."

"Oh really? Where's your evidence, detective?" You took a bite of your burger. It wasn't like you disagreed, but you weren't going to admit that to Chen. Besides, you were curious about how obvious it was.

"Don't think I've forgotten about how you  _somehow_  got away with doing nothing for two whole periods. He would never let that slide with anyone else."

"That's not fair!" you argued. Your voice came out muffled through the burger filling your mouth. "I already told you he let that slide because of my headaches!"

"Yeah? What about that time in P.E.? Where you ' _forgot_ ' your sportswear at home and still didn't get detention?"

"I  _did_  forget it, smartass!" You laughed. "Man, I don't know what to tell you. You know he's a friend of my parents, though he insists he isn't treating me differently because of it." You knew that to be false, at least partly. Jack  _had_  started treating you differently, but only after learning about your headaches. So much so that Chen had noticed, and if he'd noticed then chances were the rest of the class had too. Still, you didn't exactly  _hate_  that Jack let you off the hook.

"I think he's worried about you," Chen admitted silently. "He keeps asking you to stay after class every other week. What's that all about?"

You shrugged, mouth glued to the straw of your drink. "He usually just asks about my headaches and then that's it."

"Not to be  _that_  guy, but that both sounds and looksreally shady," he said. "People are starting to talk."

That peaked your attention. "With people, you mean Melissa, right?"

Chen nodded, and you rolled your eyes. Melissa wasn't a bully, but she sure as hell wasn't a good person either. Sometimes it felt like her sole purpose in life was to spread rumors and gossip about people behind their backs.

"So, what's the rumor mill been saying lately?"

"That you're fucking him for better grades."

You burst into a violent cough as the soda passing down your throat got caught in the wrong tube. "What?!  _No_! That's horrible!" You urged yourself not to speak until the coughing had passed. "And rude as fuck! I swear to God I'll kick her ass."

"So, it's not true?"

"Of course not!" You exclaimed. Chen raised a brow at you as if he didn't entirely believe you. "Don't you think I'd tell you I did?"

"That is... a very good point. I believe you."

"Fuck you," you pouted. "My grades are too average for that to be true anyways."

"C'mon, I'm only joking," Chen laughed. "Besides, we all know that's what  _she_  wants to do."

You hadn't even considered the option but when the idea was presented to you nothing made more sense. Thinking back, you could clearly see how Melissa went through thick and thin to get his attention. Always asking questions, asking for help but also boasting her own knowledge. It was endless. 

That, in and of itself, wasn't all that bad. It was the fact that she only did it with Jack, and nobody else. That, and her lingering stares. Whenever she spoke with him, she'd sweeten her voice and look at him… inappropriately.

" _Fuck_ ," you whispered. "That's so true."

"Right!?" Chen said while pointing a fry at you. "Do you think he's noticed?"

"Jack noticing a shallow, teenage girl swooning over him? I doubt it."

"Oh,  _Jack_ , was it?" You kicked him in the shin. "Ouch!" If looks could kill, Chen would be six feet under by now. "Listen, tomorrow's Wednesday, right?"

"Yeah."

"That means Mr. Morrison will ask you to stay after class. Confront him about it, tell him to stop and that he should send you e-mails instead of making you stay after everyone else."

"Tell him that people think we're fucking? I'd rather die."

"Don't tell him  _that_! Just... ask him to stop."

"I don't know... maybe."

"You have to watch yourself, or else Melissa  _will_ kill you."

"She can certainly try."

You both burst into laughter before finishing your food and scurrying home, all while maintaining a pleasant conversation. At some point, you parted ways and you were left alone with your thoughts.

You hadn't really thought about the fact that Jack asked to see you every other week. Though you didn't really mind, Chen was right in it being a little suspicious. Even more so considering how little you remembered of each meeting. Things always became a little fuzzy, and the harder you tried to remember the further it seemed to slip.

Stranger was the fact that he  _insisted_  on asking you about the headaches. If memory served, you'd always told him that they hadn't really been a problem as of late. Sure, they'd flare up once in a while, but that could just as well be because of a lack of sleep. Maybe things really were a little shady.

*****

Wednesday came and went as fast as any other day. That is until Mr. Morrison announced his presence. While what he was teaching certainly didn't make time go any faster, it was as if time slowed exponentially as soon as he arrived. Every second lasting longer, and every minute double in their duration.

You didn't like thought having to tell him, no, or rather, you didn't like lying. In fact, you hated lying and made a point of rarely ever doing so. Chen would say otherwise, insisting that you did, in fact, lie quite a lot. He'd watched you play the teachers as if you had them in the palm of your hand, sometimes even getting played himself, and they were none the wiser. 

It was difficult to  _not_  act like you were avoiding the man, something you failed miserably at doing. Because you were, in fact, trying to avoid his gaze. Despite the scars on his face, he was still a very charismatic man. You knew that if you looked at him for a second too long you'd find yourself stuck here after class.

The whole situation made you feel uncomfortable, and you were dead certain both Chen  _and_  Jack had noticed. So much so that Jack had gone out of his way to ask, ‘you good?’, before continuing with his work. Chen had laughed,  _audibly_ , when you stuttered in your reply, earning him a jab in the arm and a questioning look from Jack.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell finally rang. You were quick to clean your mess, almost swooping everything from your desk down into your backpack in a single, fluid motion, dropping nothing but a single pen. You sighed heavily, knowing that Jack would surely use the opportunity to reel you in.

You quickly bent down to pick it up, and, just as expected, his voice called your name out as soon as you rose back up. "Do you have a minute?"

You paused, eyes meeting with Chen who had made it a point to stand close by. He shook his head almost unnoticeable. Had you blinked you would have missed it.

"No, actually, I–" you inhaled sharply, interrupting yourself. "–is it important?"

Jack raised his brows in surprise. "Yeah, kinda."

"Ah, shit," you breathed, creating some distance as you pulled your backpack over your shoulders. "I just... I really can't today, OK?" Suddenly you'd taken several steps away from him. "Can you send me a message? I'll get to it as soon as possible!"

"It's not–" You were already out the door before he finished the sentence. "–really message material."

He sighed heavily, shoulders dropping along with it, as he watched the door shut behind you. He knew damn well you didn't have any plans and, even  _if_  you did, something like this would hardly take more than a minute.

Then again, it was bound to happen at some point, he knew that, but he'd hoped that it would've taken longer than this. Though he could hardly blame you. He'd been too careless, too systematic, in his approach, ending up in a predictable loop. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't reaaally had the time to continue writing like I said I would? Some shit happened and everything just kinda spiralled downward after that. Things are still kinda... not good... at all... but they're getting better - I hope. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!


	4. He's a show-off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You vaguely remember Jack mentioning something about magic, but you never thought he'd show you firsthand.

School was tedious, and this week in particular had been horrible. One test quickly followed another, and that gave you little time to prepare for each and every test. You’d pass, probably, but a grade on the lower end of the scale wasn’t something you’d be particularly happy about – neither would your parents.

Besides, summer was approaching a lot faster than you wanted it to. It was still a few months away, but you didn’t look forward to your exams one bit. Luckily, you had Chen. He was smart and more than happy to help you out when you needed it.

You felt your mind drift as you read, unsure of what the text was really about. The light chatter surrounding you didn’t make the matter any easier. You noticed Chen was already well on his way doing the follow-up questions, and silently cursed him for being so efficient.

It was history, something about the dreams about the people, but that was also all you knew. As your mind drifted, your eyes landed on one specific word and you couldn’t help but blurt out your thoughts. “Isn’t it weird how people say follow your dreams instead of follow your ambitions?”

In your peripheral vision, you noticed Chen furrow his brow and slowly turn towards you. You also noticed that Mr. Hughes had taken an interest in your statement, if the look you received was anything to go by. Statements like these were exactly why he enjoyed having you on the first row.  

“ _Why_?” Chen asked, lacing as much skepticism into the word as he could muster.

“Because I once had a dream where I worked for a company that tried to genetically engineer ducks to speak English,” you said. “Except the ducks only criticized people’s fashion sense.”

You lifted your head just in time to see Chen’s baffled expression before his head slowly descended to his desk. “Unbelievable…”

Mr. Hughes called your name, and you turned to see him looking at you with an almost worried expression. “ _Please_ follow your dreams.”

The sincerity of his comment made you laugh. “I will. For you.”

“When you do–” The palms of his hands came together in front of his face. “–please let me buy five.”

“Five?” You blinked. “That’s a big order.”

He chuckled and threw his hands out in defeat. “What can I say? There’s a great need for them on my father’s side. Also, I’ll need one–” Pausing briefly, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “–for Morrison.”

You’d almost forgotten about Jack. It had been a while since you last spoke to him, aside from what happened in class. He’d approached you a couple of times after you practically ran away from confronting him, but as time went on his attempts to talk to you became scarcer until they stopped completely.

You’d wondered about why he was so insistent on talking to you one on one for quite some time, but never curious enough to actually speak to the man. Maybe you’d talk to him next time, if he asked, considering it had been such a long time of nothing but short hellos between the two of you.

“Morrison?” Chen broke in. “Why?”  

The wicked grin Ryan gave you almost sent chills down your spine. “Because he’s going to absolutely hate it,” he chuckled. “And, I want to get back on him for all those sleight of the hand magic tricks of his.”

That piece of information surprised you. He’d mentioned it when he introduced himself last semester but that was also the last time you’d heard about it. “He actually knows how to do magic tricks?”

Ryan had gotten lost in thought and it took him a second or two before he replied. “Hmm? Oh, he does. He’s very good at it, too. Makes him cocky.”

“I thought he made that up to seem more likable.”

That made him chuckle. “You know, I’m a little surprised you didn’t know.”

“I guess it just never came up,” you said.  “He just seemed like a… regular guy.”

“Really?” Ryan seemed surprised. “You should ask him about it. He might not look like it but he’s a real show-off.”

You laughed, with Chen quickly joining in, because all things considered that was something you could somehow easily believe. Now you really did have to talk to him, if not for him then for your own sake.

“Who’s a show-off?” Jack’s gruff voice surprised you. He cocked a brow as he looked between the three of you and got his question partially answered when he saw the smiles on your faces disappear almost instantly.

Ryan laughed it off. “I was just talking about your magic tricks.” He was by no means a small man but when he rose and stood next to Jack, who was both taller and bigger, he seemed small in comparison

The smug look Jack’s face changed into one of curiosity as he looked down on you. “Really?” he asked. His attention quickly shifted back to Ryan “Did you also tell her to ask for a demonstration?”

“Of course.” The two of them stared at each other, presumably having an unspoken conversation that neither you nor Chen understood. It seemed to go on for minutes until Jack suddenly looked away in defeat and sighed heavily. He turned to you.

“Well?”

It took you a few seconds to understand that it was directed to you. “W-what?”

“Would you like one?”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah, sure.”

He gave Ryan another hard stare as he placed his notes and laptop down on the desk. Before long he stood in front of your desk with Ryan hovering right behind him. He gave Chen a quick glance, inviting him to come watch as well. He happily accepted.

When Jack deemed the crowd acceptable, he finally dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out four cards. He placed them face-down on your desk, and then dramatically dropped four coins right on top of them.

The fact that he had come prepared surprised you. It also made you smile hopelessly wondering about how deep this interest went. “You always carry those around?”

With a flick of his hand, the small stack of coins fell. They clattered against the material of the desk as they spread out, all four somehow landing with the exact same amount of space between them.

Behind him, Ryan scoffed. “Show-off.” It was almost unintelligible but you were certain Jack heard. You quickly glanced up and found him looking at you with a smug lopsided smile.

“Call it a gut feeling,” he said. He tapped the table and brought your attention back down. “This trick is all about making these coins–” He slid each coin around until they created a sizable square. “–magically appear and disappear, changing their position from one place to another.”

A card was placed over each coin, successfully hiding them from everyone’s view. You watched eagerly but confused as he removed the cards again and slid each coin to the corner closest to you. “The difficult part is making them all move–” He hid all of the coins under one card. “–without using my hands.”

For a moment his hand hovered over the cards, and in the next, he snapped his fingers. He then moved his fingers to rest on one of the cards, weighing it down before he quickly turned it over and threw it into the middle of the square. He did so with all four cards, and under each one of them laid a coin.

You were gaping when you looked up at Jack. He was staring at you with the same smug, lopsided smile he had earlier, amusement clear on his face. Ryan was right. He really did like showing-off.

“No way!” Chen exclaimed next you, pulling you out of the lock Jack had on you. You’d almost forgotten you were in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by other people. “There’s no way!”

“Need a second look?” Jack asked smugly. He returned each card to their original position of hiding a coin. “Watch closely because this does happen–” He paused and snapped his fingers. “–very fast.”

He turned three of the cards, revealing that the coins beneath them were gone once again. Chen dragged a hand through his hair, muttering a string of Chinese curses that only he understood. Jack was grinning at his confusion as he returned three of the cards to his pocket, leaving only the one closest to you on the desk.

He turned his attention back to you. “I’ll show you–” He lifted the last card and revealed a single coin. “–one–” His hand hovered over the next corner, revealing a second coin when it moved away. “–more–” A third coin appeared after he did the same motion with his other hand. “–time.” The fourth coin came soon after the third and you were left staring in awe.

He’d made the coins move, disappear and then reappear, right before your eyes and you had absolutely no idea how he did it. You didn’t realize you were gaping until you saw both Jack and Ryan staring at you. The shorter of the two hid his grin behind his hand. The other wasn’t nearly as discreet. “H-how?”

“That,” Jack said as he picked up the coins. “Isn’t part of our syllabus.” He tapped it once on your desk before he stepped away. You stared at him dumbfoundedly as he did, barely noticing Ryan’s gaze shifting between the two of you.

“As I said,” he stated as he picked up his own books. “Very cocky.” He shook his head at Jack before leaving the classroom. Jack simply grinned at him in return. “This is why he needs that duck.”

With that, he made his exit. Leaving a chuckling Chen, and a very, very confused Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gee, you guys. I don't know if that whole magic sequence made sense? I had a friend read it and she said it was fine, but I'm still kinda??? ya know?? Anyways, I'm not going to write a whole lot of details like that again, mostly because it's hard (to both write and read I think) and well... you'll see (¬‿¬)


	5. Sweet dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're dangerously sick but somewhere in a dream, you find the cure.

Your body was shutting down. You didn't know why or how it was happening but you were hardly surprised. You'd had so many different symptoms ripping you apart for so long you couldn't even remember what living without them felt like anymore. At the same time, you hadn't felt  _this_  bad in a very long time. It must have been months ago, now.

Your body was weak. Simple things, like lifting your head or simply shifting in bed, became increasingly difficult. It was probably partly because you hardly ate or drank anything at all, but there was definitely something else going on. Something out of your control.

You were halfway on your way to passing out when Chen suggested you go home. It didn't take a whole lot of convincing but after you nearly fell headfirst down the stairs, almost pulling both Chen and Mr. Hughes down with you, you promptly agreed to let him follow you back home, if only to make sure you didn't die along the way.

You hadn't left home since then. Hell, you'd barely even left your bed. It had been days, and you were getting nothing but worse. How your parents hadn't called an ambulance on you yet was a mystery. How your parents came to the conclusion that this was the right time to host a dinner party was even more of a mystery.

You heard their laughter and chatter from down the hall, and, if your fever dreams weren't playing tricks on you, you could have sworn you heard Jack amongst them. He was, and he was also aware how sick you were.

Jack wasn't really one for rumors. They were stupid and often a poor representation of the truth. So, when he heard you'd fallen down the stairs and gotten yourself hospitalized, he knew that wasn't the truth. That, and Hughes had already gone into vivid detail about how you almost pulled both him and Chen down with you.

He knew exactly what was going on. You were dying. Your body was shutting down, and no form of medicine could help you. Nothing official, anyway. He knew how to treat it, and while it was his full intent to do so, he had to act fast. There was a limit to how long your body could survive, and, if he was being completely honest with himself, it had already been too long.

When all the other guests had left for a smoke, you suddenly became the topic of the conversation. "How's she doing, by the way?" Jack asked. Your father, Tom, grimaced and shook his head.

"Why do you ask?" His voice came out strained.

"I thought she was sick?"

"How'd you know?"

Jack blinked, surprised that that was a question he felt the need to ask. "I'm her teacher. She hasn't come to school for a week."

"What?" It was Tom's turn to be surprised. "She's never mentioned you."

Jack didn't know what to say. Neither did Tom, it seemed. They both worked their jaw, mind trying to catch up with the information they'd been given. Tom broke the silence with a weak laugh.

"I'm not surprised," he said. "She doesn't talk a lot about school, or about… anything really." He took a big swig of his beer, clearly thinking through what he was going to say next. "She's... not well. I wanted to take her to the hospital but Janet... advised against it."

Jack pinched his brows together. What a weird thing for a parent to advise against. Surely, it'd be better to take you to the hospital, or even a doctor, just in case. Though, he did appreciate your mother's carelessness. Helping you would be easier here.

The other guests returned before he could give a reply, and Jack was quick to excuse himself. He needed to find you, or rather, your room. Problem was, although he had a good idea of the house's layout, he had no idea where that was.

He couldn't exactly open every door. It would take too long and make too much noise for your parents to not suspect anything. One door, the one at the very end of the hallway, stood slightly ajar, and he hoped it was yours. The floor creaked under his weight as he made his way towards it.

He curled his fingers around the door and opened it further, letting the light from the hallway spill into the barely lit room. He peeked inside and, surely enough, there you were. You rested on your stomach, half your torso draping over the edge of your bed. Following your arm, he saw a bucket placed beneath you and noticed that you were lying on top of several towels.

His heart sank. The illness had not been kind to you. "Shit," he muttered as he entered. The thin layer sweat on your brow glistened in the light before he shut the door behind him.

He walked up to your bed and crouched down next to you. He lifted your face into what little light there was and frowned. You were so pale and had big, dark bags dominating your face.

"I did this to you." He couldn't tell whether you could hear him or not. "I'm so sorry."

His voice caused you to stir. Lazily, you opened your eyes to look at him. "Jack?" Your voice was hoarse, weak, and barely above a whisper.

He carefully lifted your body back into the bed. With a sigh, he gently grabbed on to the glass of water standing on your nightstand. He lifted your head as he placed it against your lips, forcing you to drink a fair share of it. "This wouldn't have happened if you just talked to me," he whispered.

You pushed away from the glass. "Chen said..." Your voice faded after that.

"Chen said?" Jack repeated. "That's why you haven't been talking to me?" Somehow, that made sense. You weren't one to shy away from conversations, at least not with him. Whatever Chen had told you must have left an impression.

You shut your eyes, face turning in agony as you nodded weakly. "He said..."

Jack hushed you. "Doesn't matter." He put the glass back in its original position but maintained the firm grip on the back of your head. "You'll be alright."

"Nooo," you said feverishly as he placed his free hand on your brow. "Not alright at all!" All your words slurred together, and Jack couldn't help but chuckle.

"You will be. Just give me a second."

He held your head for a while, letting your body relax in his warm touch. When the pain on your face ceased, he let go. He tucked you under the covers and brushed your hair behind your ears before heading out.

He paused at the door. "Sweet dreams." Then, he returned to the dinner party. 

*****

It was sunset. The orange light spilled over the grassland you stood on, and the tall grass tickled against your bare skin. Not too far off in the distance, a deer tiptoed through the grass, its fawn never far behind. A group of birds was singing, their melody just strong enough to reach your ears.

You blinked. Despite being on its way down, the sun was too strong for your eyes. You lifted your hand to cover them and let it rest there, letting nothing but hints of light pass through your fingers. Your skin was warm, heated from the exposure of the sun. This was fine, you thought. Just listening, imagining what else was out there. It made you smile.

Suddenly something tickled at your hand. It felt like fingers, sliding over the back of your hand before a thumb slid into your palm. It was gentle, careful, but it startled you nonetheless. You shut your eyes as it peeled your hand away, not daring to look at what or who stood in front of you.

“Open your eyes.” It felt familiar to you, the voice. So much so that you did as they said. Your eyes parted slowly, blinking as you adjusted to the warm sunlight again.

To your surprise, there stood Jack. He smiled a genuine smile, the kind that brings a twinkle to your eye, and his blue eyes seemed a little brighter than usual. He basked in the light, you noticed. It made is bare skin glow, and his toned body seeming almost godly.

Your hand still rested in his. He gave it a squeeze before gently letting it go. When his fingers started tracing up your body you noted that you, too, stood completely naked. His fingers seared across your skin, leaving a trail of fire. He only stopped when he reached your jaw.

Something felt wrong. It was quiet. The air felt colder and the colors seemed to have paled. All color except for Jack’s. You tried to look around but the hold he had on your jaw kept you locked in place. Your eyes flickered around, but it was hard to see anything with Jack so close.

“Look at me.”

You did as you were told and lifted your eyes to meet his. As you did, his hand moved to cup your cheek. It felt warm and safe, but you were so tired. It was as if all the energy had been drained from your body. You couldn’t help but lean into his touch, closing your eyes and focusing on nothing but his warmth.

“Don’t close your eyes,” he said.

“Sorry,” came your reply.

When your eyes blinked open, something was different. Behind him, you saw wings, big feathered wings, and they were _his_. The shorter feathers danced in the wind, while the longer ones simply swayed. They weren’t blindingly white. They were warmer, more brown and reddish.

Before you had the chance to say anything, and you were going to say something because your mouth was already open and ready to stutter a response, he kissed you. It took you by surprise, but you didn’t shy away. In fact, you leaned into it, gladly copying the slow and gentle pace he set.

When you curled a hand around the back of his neck, he placed a hand on your hips and pulled you so close there was hardly any room between you. The world around you wasn’t important anymore. It didn’t matter that the ground had turned dark and rotten, that the deer and its fawn had died along with the birds. All that mattered was Jack, Jack, and only Jack.

Suddenly he’s kissing you harder, deeper, with an intense need that you couldn’t quite describe. It stole your breath away, but you were more than willing to let him have it. You so desperately needed to breathe, but you didn’t want to let go.

As his wings curled around you, you got filled with a sense of security, one you’d never had or felt before. It was so warm, so safe, so  _good_ , you hoped he’d never let go. For as long as this dream went on, he didn’t. Sweet dreams indeed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my written exams are done! I got one final oral exam coming up, but I don't really need to stress about it, so now I can focus all my time on all the creative projects I want to do (¬‿¬)

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to ask me questions back [on my tumblr](https://waddyaknow.tumblr.com/)  
> crossposted [here](https://www.wattpad.com/story/167287066-of-magic-and-blood-soldier-76-x-reader)


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